Manchester Film Festival announces 2017 lineup

Manchester Film Festival reveals the lineup for its third event, which will feature appearances from Timothy Spall and Karen Allen

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by The Skinny
| 17 Jan 2017

Manchester Film Festival has revealed the programme for its third year, and confirmed appearances by the likes of Timothy Spall, Karen Allen and Stef Dawson.

New strand Rising Stars, which aims to showcase emerging talent in front and behind the camera, looks promising. A highlight looks to be the already announced Katie Says Goodbye, the feature debut from writer-director Wayne Roberts starring local girl done good Olivia Cooke and Girls’ Christopher Abbott, which will close the festival. Creedmoria, Alicia Slimmer's debut feature about a 17-year-old trying to deal with her dysfunctional brood in 80s Queens, looks fun too.

Other titles include Irish crime film Cardboard Gangsters, micro budget feature Across the River, by Warren Malone, and Hunter Gatherer, an intriguing looking film about an ex-con trying to get his life back on track.

The festival’s second strand of 2017 is Be Who You Are Say What You Feel, which promises to “champion the vast selection of films that portray themes of acceptance and freedom.” Of particular interest in some quarters will be short Taubman, which reteams Coronation Street’s Ben Price and Jack P Shepherd, respectively the film’s director and star. And who doesn’t love Oscar Isaac? The Inside Llewyn Davis and Ex Machina star appears in Brian Petsos’ short Lightningface. There’s also Brazilian feature Public Intimacy, UK premiere The Black Prince, starring Jason Flemyng, and Stanley a Man of Variety, featuring Timothy Spall.

Once again MANIFF ties in with Manchester’s Wonder Woman season with a selection of more than 30 films by female directors, the most eye-catching of which is A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud, the debut film from Karen Allen (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Starman). Another highlight in this strand looks to be In Search of Perfect Consonance, a short documentary film directed by Oscar-winning Chinese-American filmmaker Ruby Yang. Opening film Alfie Boe – On the Wheels of a Dream also falls under this banner.

Familiar names like Jonathan Pryce, Cillian Murphy and Helen Mirren also feature in the programme.

Manchester Film Festival runs 2-5 Mar; for more details and full listings, go to maniff.com